Blog

Mend Physical Therapy Blog and Injury Information
Should I Have Surgery For My Sciatica?

Sciatica is a painful condition with symptoms of pain, numbness, and/or pins and needles extending down the leg. The term sciatica is helpful for location of symptoms, but their are multiple causes of sciatica. In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy clinics, determining the cause is the first step in recovery for this...

Loss Of Grip Strength Associated With Higher Risk Of Dementia

Dementia is one of the most common mental health disorders affecting many older adults around the world. Authors estimate 50 million around the world suffer with this diagnosis at a staggering cost of 1 trillion dollars a year. Although the causes of dementia are multifactorial previous researchers have shown many modifiable risk factors, including smoking,...

Reducing Wrist Pain During Handstands

A lot of clients I work with in our Boulder Physical Therapy practice report wrist pain in their handstands. While there can be multiple contributors to wrist pain, including a loss of upper body mobility or strength, one of the most common issues I see is lack of overhead shoulder mobility. When the arm is...

Should I Get An Injection For My Tendon Pain?

In our Lafayette Physical Therapy and Boulder Physical Therapy clinics we often have my patients ask whether a steroid injection is appropriate for managing their symptoms of tendon pain. This question does not have a simple answer. While corticosteroids can be effective for pain relief and inflammation control there are underlying physiological changes that happen...

Using Yoga To Reduce Low Back Pain

Chronic low back pain can be a debilitating condition and has the potential to affect anyone. In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice, Yoga can be a cost-effective way to help reduce low back pain. This is not just something that makes intuitive sense but has been demonstrated in rigorous scientific studies that provide hard numbers...

What are the best exercises for gluteus maximus?

Whether you want to increase your back squat, shave some time off your Fran score, or take fewer breaks on your uphill skin, you will need to focus on glute strength. The gluteus maximus is the largest and most powerful muscle in the human body, and is responsible for hip extension, lateral rotation, and abduction...

5 Things You Didn’t Know That Pelvic Physical Therapy Treats

1. Testicular pain Yes, men can benefit from pelvic physical therapy. Testicular pain is often not an issue with the testicle itself, but rather a presentation of a pelvic floor dysfunction. This may be due to pelvic floor muscle overactivity. Referral patterns of pelvic floor or even abdominal muscles can be into the testicles and...

What Are The Best Exercises For A Return To Running?

At our Lafayette Physical Therapy and Boulder Physical Therapy clinics we are continuously working on getting runners back to the sport they love. There is great research available these days for examining the best ways to get athletes back to running. The article “External loading of common training drills: Ranking drills to design progressive return-to-run...

What makes a good warm up for CrossFit?

As a CrossFit Athlete, skier, runner, pickle-baller, or anyone in between, warming up is crucial to reduce the risk of injury and improve performance. There is a significant body of scientific research supporting the importance of task specificity and muscle activation during warm-up exercises to reduce injury and increase performance. Below we outline some considerations...

Lumbrical strains in rock climbers: how do they happen and how they can be treated

Climbing is a demanding sport that requires exceptional grip strength and finger dexterity. Because of this, climbers are at risk of developing finger injuries, including lumbrical strains, which can significantly affect their climbing ability. In this article, we will explore the biomechanics of lumbrical strain in climbing, its etiology, and management strategies. The lumbricals are...